Symmetry Operators and Gravity in Quantum Theory

Explore a 45-minute physics lecture from Johns Hopkins University professor Konstantinos Roumpedakis at the Harvard CMSA Workshop on Symmetries and Gravity that challenges conventional beliefs about conserved charges in gravitational theory. Delve into an examination of global symmetries through the lens of topological operators, focusing on how these operators, when expressed in terms of currents, require regularization that results in finite width. Learn how regulated operators behave as finite tension objects subject to fluctuations, and discover why these fluctuations become frozen in the zero-width limit, maintaining topological operator properties. Understand the fundamental implications when gravity enters the equation, making the zero-width limit undefined and thereby preventing topological operator existence. Based on collaborative research with Ibrahima Bah, Patrick Jefferson, and Thomas Waddleton, gain insights into this novel perspective on the relationship between symmetry operators and gravitational theory.